Tag Archives: williamsburg

In Long Island City, with a $3,300 two-bedroom apartment median rent and a median household income of $28,378, tenants pay 139.54 percent of their incomes on rent. (Photo by King of Hearts/via RentHop.com)

By Sabina Mollot

In news that is certain to surprise absolutely no one, New York City fared the worst when compared to four other major cities in a study looking to determine which cities have the fewest neighborhoods with affordable two-bedroom apartments.

Additionally, in New York City, the neighborhoods with the highest low income to high rent ratio were the Lower East Side, Williamsburg and Long Island City.

Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill was actually the most affordable to the neighborhood’s own residents with an average household income of $155,213 and average two-bedroom rent of $3,555. The median income for all of NYC is $55,752 with a 2.4 person household.

The study was conducted by RentHop, an online apartment listings directory.

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and a few other elected officials have asked MTA to reconsider its plans to shut down L train service between Manhattan and Brooklyn while the agency does repair work on the line.

The request came in the form of a letter to MTA chairman and CEO Thomas Prendergast on Monday, requesting a meeting to discuss the impacts of the proposed Hurricane-Sandy related repairs.

“There is no duplicate mode of transportation,” Maloney said in the letter. “We understand that the tunnel is over 100 years old, that it was badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy and that repairs must be made; however, we are deeply concerned that the closure could leave commuters with no means of getting to and from the Williamsburg/Greenpoint area.”

The letter’s authors also requested that Prendergast or other MTA representatives work with them on a mitigation plan.

“We would like to be involved in the planning at an early stage so that our suggestions and concerns can be taken into account as you develop your plans,” they said in the letter.

Maloney was joined in the letter by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, State Senators Martin Malavé Dilan and Daniel Squadron, Assembly Member Joseph Lentol and Council Member Stephen Levin.

In response, MTA spokesperson Kevin Ortiz told Town & Village that while the work is necessary because of the damage done to the tubes because of the salt water that flooded in from the storm, the agency has not finalized decisions about the work, which won’t be started for a couple years. He added that the agency is planning to work with the community throughout the process, although he did not have specifics about setting up a meeting with Maloney and other local elected officials.

“We look forward to meeting with elected officials, community representatives and riders and listening to their ideas for the best way to mitigate the impact to customers who travel through the Canarsie Tube every day,” Ortiz said.

A number of community groups and businesses, including Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the Greenpoint Chamber of Commerce and Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (NAG), have organized to express their concerns about the proposed shutdowns. The groups are joining for a community meeting at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg on Thursday, January 28 at 11 a.m.

Post navigation

About Town & Village

Town & Village is a print newspaper that has been serving the community since 1947, covering neighborhoods in the East Side of Manhattan, including Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village, Waterside Plaza, Gramercy Park, Union Square, East Midtown Plaza and Kips Bay.

Keep up with us

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

About us

Town & Village is a print newspaper that has been serving the community since 1947, covering neighborhoods in the East Side of Manhattan, including Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village, Waterside Plaza, Gramercy Park, Union Square, East Midtown Plaza and Kips Bay.